Maxim Flouting Awareness and Communication Competence of College Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67167/vertex.616Keywords:
conversational inference, maxim flouting, pragmatic instruction, indirect language use, EFL higher education, communication competenceAbstract
Pragmatic understanding is essential in higher education because students are expected to interpret not only explicit statements but also implied meanings in academic and social interaction. This study determined the level of maxim flouting awareness and communication competence of college students in selected state universities and colleges in Iloilo during Academic Year 2025–2026. It also examined whether communication competence differed according to students’ level of maxim flouting awareness and whether the two variables were significantly related. The study employed a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were obtained from 340 third-year college students selected through stratified random sampling. Researcher-developed instruments were used to measure maxim flouting awareness and communication competence. The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, analysis of variance, and Pearson product-moment correlation at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that students had moderate maxim flouting awareness (M = 9.39, SD = 3.36) and high communication competence (M = 12.34, SD = 3.30). Communication competence differed significantly across levels of maxim flouting awareness, F(4, 335) = 19.233, p < .001. A significant positive relationship was also found between maxim flouting awareness and communication competence. The results suggest that students who are more aware of flouted conversational maxims tend to demonstrate stronger communicative ability. The study highlights the value of explicit pragmatics instruction in helping students interpret indirect meanings, recognize speaker intention, and respond appropriately in varied communicative contexts.
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